2010 is shaping up as a watershed year for the limited government movement.  2009 was marked by the birth and rapid growth of the national Tea Party organization, 912 Groups and numerous others.  The members of these organizations all share a common concern – our nation is, and has been, sliding more and more quickly towards greater government control of our lives.  This control manifests itself in many ways – two years ago could you have imagined the federal government owning General Motors – once the symbol of American private-sector manufacturing might – and the President of the United States deciding who would be its CEO?

But the stars for reversing the trend toward more intrusive government are coming into alignment.  An initial skirmish will be the late January vote on Measure 66 & 67 in Oregon.  Will Oregonians continue to reject the class warfare arguments and parade of horribles the government employees unions have been spewing for more than a decade?  Do they really want to provide the money for the dramatic increase in spending the 2009 Legislature approved in the middle of  a recession, spending that will have to be rolled up by a further 15-20 percent every two years forever?  Do they want to sacrifice the economic well-being of tens of thousands of their neighbors and destroy Oregon’s economy for a decade?

For most of the past decade, people who believe in small government, low debt loads and low taxes have been angry, but unsure what to do.  The growth of Americans for Prosperity from 250,000 to almost 1 million nationwide during 2009 shows that they are beginning to realize what is needed to achieve their goals.  AFP’s mission is to train grassroots activists in a set of skills which they can then use to create enduring political change right in their local communities.  AFP-Oregon saw these efforts come to fruition in 2009, as AFP activists in Estacada, Damascus, Lincoln City and elsewhere took the skills they were taught and put them to work.  With 25 AFP Chapters meeting in communities across Oregon, this activity will only increase in 2010.

Furthermore, AFP members now have the skills to identify candidates who share their values and to help them get elected to public office.  Although AFP does not endorse candidates for national, state or local office, our thousands of trained members in Oregon are free to use their skills in any way they wish and it is expected that they will hit the streets in support of candidates who will work for limited government, not just pay it lip service.  In addition, AFP Members are not likely to have much patience for candidates who say one thing during their election effort, and then do another once in office.  Once elected, these candidates are going to be expected to stop and then reverse the growth of government in Oregon, to decrease the total tax take of the State or local governments and to remove restrictions on private businesses and private lives.  If they don’t take aggressive action, they will be replaced at the earliest opportunity by someone who will.

AFP-Oregon almost quadrupled in size during 2009.  With the opportunities presenting themselves for 2010 – including the increasing awareness that those who believe in limited government must develop a skill set that allows them to take strong action in their own community and that AFP is the only organization offering comprehensive training – we expect the coming year to be equally successful.

If you have not made a financial contribution recently, we encourage you to do so.  If each of our members would give only $10 per year, we could meet our overhead expenses, and be able to apply larger gifts to important action projects in local communities across Oregon.  Please click here to make a secure on-line donation with a credit card.

We look forward to a successful 2010.